The toll of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people’s collective mental health and wellness has been massive. Mental illness disproportionately affects people between the ages of 15 and 29 worldwide, and accounts for approximately half of the overall burden of disease in this age group, making it the leading cause of disability in Canada. The pandemic has only further impacted this vulnerable group.

“We are at a very critical juncture,” says Dr. Viviane Poupon, Brain Canada President and CEO. “We must turn the collective ideas and conversations we have been having around addressing the gaps in youth mental health care into tangible evidence-based actions.”

“RBC Future Launch is committed to partnering with Brain Canada to
invest in an infrastructure to build and share youth mental health knowledge
across teams and disciplines, to address the barriers to care.”
… Mark Beckles, VP, Social Impact and Innovation, RBC

A new Brain Canada program aims to do just that. The Brain Canada Youth Mental Health Platform, powered by RBC Future Launch, will support a pioneering national project that will make meaningful advances in the field of youth mental health possible by enhancing existing technical and research capabilities of Canadian neuroscientists.

“This is a call to action to the youth mental health research community. It is a call for the development of a national youth mental health platform with the ultimate goal of sharing data across disciplines, including people with lived experience,” says Dr. Poupon. “This will create synergies across these groups while accelerating the practical application of research findings in improving youth mental health services.”

Brain Canada recognizes child and youth mental health as the foundation to future mental health. It is also an area in crisis and in dire need of innovation. This research program is an opportunity for new and emerging directions to collaborate, develop and share solutions for today’s youth mental health challenges.

“The global pandemic has completely upended the lives of young people across our country,” says Mark Beckles, Vice-President, Social Impact and Innovation, RBC. “RBC Future Launch is committed to partnering with Brain Canada to invest in an infrastructure to build and share youth mental health knowledge across teams and disciplines, to address the barriers to care.”

High-impact research relies on creating access to shared equipment, facilities, services, databases, computing and informatics facilities, patient repositories, and biobanks through the development of platforms that enable open access to such technologies across a variety of research networks.

The availability and accessibility of platforms represent an important avenue for capacity building and a cost-effective means of accessing cutting-edge equipment, technology, and services beyond what any researcher could achieve on their own.

“This project will have a discernable impact on Canada’s capabilities in youth mental health research,” says Dr. Catherine E. Ferland, Brain Canada’s Chief Research and Programs Officer. “It will result in greater access to specialized technology, and better coordination of the existing infrastructure for researchers and people with lived experience. It will help the youth mental health community at large.”

This national program was made possible by an anchor gift of $2 million from the RBC Foundation, in support of RBC Future Launch. The RBC Foundation is a long-standing supporter of Brain Canada and its mission to fund research aimed at unlocking the complexities of the brain to develop diagnostics, treatments, and cures for brain disorders.

“We must turn the collective ideas and conversations we have been having around addressing the gaps in youth mental health care into tangible evidence-based actions.”
… Dr. Viviane Poupon, President, Brain Canada

From 2015-2017, RBC joined forces with Brain Canada to create the RBC-Brain Canada Research Partnership in Mental Health Services for Children and Youth program. Their collaboration has focused on the improved delivery of mental health services through the identification and validation of innovative interventions and practices that are cost-effective and delivered at the right place and time to support affected children and youth, and their families.

In March 2020, just days before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizations again came together to host a workshop that would provide insight into the existing gaps in knowledge and services when it comes to mental health, as well as to cultivate a deeper understanding of how we can work together to create meaningful change for youth in Canada. The RBC-Brain Canada Youth Mental Health Workshop was highly successful in bringing together an inspiring and diverse group of individuals to connect and deliberate on the state of mental illness in Canada.

Later this month, Brain Canada and RBC Future Launch will be presenting sponsors of an upcoming national virtual conversation on youth mental health. The discussion will feature Brain Canada-funded researcher and Psychiatrist, Dr. Teresa Bennett as one of the four panelists, along with participants Fae Johnstone, Executive Director of Wisdom2Action, social worker Lee Thomas, and Dr. Myrna Lashley, Psychologist and Consultant in Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The speakers will discuss the importance of prevention, identification, and treatment of mental illness to help improve youth well-being in Canada.

The Walrus Talks at Home: Youth Mental Health is a free online event, and it will take place Tuesday, November 23, at 7 pm ET.

For more on the Brain Canada Youth Mental Health Platform, powered by RBC Future Launch, and to learn more about Brain Canada’s Mental Health Research Initiative, please visit www.braincanada.ca

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